- 1. Assembly the tree of life of Taxaceae and Araucariaceae – part of the AToL – Gymnosperm project, led by Dr. Sarah Mathews and funded by NSF.
- 2. Maple phylogeny – Maples (Acer L.) are one of largest woody plant genera in the Northern Hemisphere and are widely distributed in Eurasia and North America. More than 22 sections have been recognized, many of which are natural based on recent molecular studies. However, relationships among sections are basically unknown. This research focuses on the problem and will explore biogeography and character evolution based on a robust phylogeny.
- 3. Birch phylogenetics – Birches (Betula L.) is probably the most northerly woody plant genus in the Northern Hemisphere except for willows. Studies have shown that because of extensive hybridization in the evolutionary history chloroplast genes are of little use in resolving phylogeny of birches. This project explore the usage of low copy nuclear genes to reconstruct the evolutionary history of birches and elucidate the origin of polyploidy species.
- 4. Phylogenetics of the Jessamine family (Gelsemiaceae). This family is evergreen, woody vine and has both African-South American and eastern Asian-North American disjunct distributions. Multiple genes will be used to elucidate the relationships of the family.